1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicular power transmitting apparatus provided with a continuously variable shifting portion and a stepped shifting portion. More particularly, the invention relates to technology that is able to obtain a close ratio in which the change width of speed ratios is large (i.e., spans over a wide range) and in which the speed ratios are close together when the gear (i.e., gear speed) is changed in a stepped manner, while minimizing an increase in overall size of the vehicular power transmitting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-206136 (JP-A-2005-206136) describes a vehicular power transmitting apparatus in which a power split device that distributes output from an engine to a first electric motor and a transmitting member is selectively switched between a state in which it can operate as an electrical continuously variable transmission and a state in which it can operate as a two-speed transmission. In this kind of vehicular power transmitting apparatus, a stepped shifting mechanism is provided in addition to a second electric motor, between the transmitting member and the output member. This stepped shifting mechanism changes the rotation speed of the transmitting member, i.e., changes the rotation speed of an input member into which output from the engine is input, into one of a plurality of gears and then outputs that rotation.
When the power transmitting apparatus is operated as a stepped automatic transmission, a close ratio in which the speed ratio change width is wide (i.e., spans over a wide range) and the speed ratios are close together is desirable. With respect to this, in JP-A-2005-206136, the power transmitting apparatus has a second transmitting path that directly transmits the rotation of the input member to the stepped shifting mechanism such that seven gears can be established, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 20 of that document, for example. However, increasing the number of power transmitting paths in this way resulted in an increase in the overall dimensions of the power transmitting apparatus, which is undesirable.